Weakened
by Sparkling-Iris
Summary: ONESHOT. A look into the life Link must endure in a world where he lost the battle against Demise and was taken in as a slave. Dark fic, Ghiralink fluff, angsty, emotional stuff. Rated T for some dark themes, mentions of violence/abuse, mature-ish themes, and some implications of sexual content. Slave!Link, Master!Ghirahim.


**Author's note: Just a fluffy ghiralink oneshot. The idea is that Link lost the battle against Demise and was captured. This kind of is about his new life. That's all. It's basically just a fluffy thing. Not really any sexual content from what I can tell. Nothing special. Just some dark themes, angst, sadness, y'know. I mainly did this to work on my writing skills and to get ideas running. There may be some grammatical or spelling mistakes, so if you see any really bad ones, please tell me so I can fix it. :) **

**Oh, and link is supposed to be wearing yueki's slave!link outfit. The link is at the bottom of the page.**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns LoZ.**

**Enjoy!**

**/**

It was raining. Hard. I ran as fast as I could to the door to the castle. I had been out in the garden when the downpour had suddenly begun and had gotten trapped in the middle of it. I frowned when a flash of lightning lit up the cloudy sky, seconds later, a deafening rumble of thunder following. I wasn't used to this weather yet. In Skyloft, the days had always been nice and sunny with the occasional light rain. But never like this. That was a drawback to living on the surface. The weather.

I sighed as I ran through puddles and tried desperately not to slip on the muddied ground. Ghirahim would already be irritated with my wet outfit. He hated when I got it wet, dirty, or torn in the least. When I was on my adventure, I could get my knight's outfit as dirty, wet or mangled as much as I wanted. Not that I ever purposefully soiled it.

Either way, I supposed it didn't matter whether I fell or not. But I knew that mud would definitely be a hassle to clean, and I'd be the one doing the cleaning, so I made sure not to slip. Or tried to.

The door was about ten steps away when it happened. I lost my footing on the slippery, muddy ground and I soon found myself careening towards the floor, face first. Instinctively, I held my hands out in front of me to catch myself before I hit my face or chest into the many puddles, however it was all in vain, for the ground came quickly and I found no purchase in the slick surface when my hands hit the mud with a sickening splat. Grasping for anything to keep my face from hitting the mud, I furled my fingers into the ground, but much to my irritation, my arms just slid out from under me and I fell face first in the mud. It only took two seconds for all this to happen, but it was enough to completely alter my appearance. I lay in the mud, almost wondering if I should just lie there and wait for the rain to wash my body, but decided against it. I had to go to dinner.

See, Demise had a rule, one of many: dinner at 7 each night, and every night unless he said otherwise. And if you were late, there were consequences, some decidedly exaggerated and over reactions to simply being late for a meal. But of course, Demise and Ghirahim loved to punish people for their own enjoyment, regardless of the offence.

And I had been punished enough to know not to dare be late. It was probably better to be on time and covered in mud than to be late and not covered in mud. The soiled clothing rules were laid down by Ghirahim, who, albeit very violent and merciless, was not the King here. Demise would have worse punishments in mind. Less torture-like, but more humiliating and degrading.

I couldn't handle these kinds of punishments. I was the hero chosen by the goddess. Note the _was; _the past tense.

Not anymore. No. I had failed and instead of killing me, letting me die honourably in battle, Demise had had another idea, supported readily by Ghirahim. Now I was Ghirahim's personal slave. It was horrible in the first month. Pure agony and torture. I didn't know what had become of my friends in Skyloft, nor of the other residents of the Surface. I had shed many disgraceful tears. I had bled who knows how much of my crimson life-force. And I had endured so many hardships, many due to breaking my "masters' rules". I learned to obey them pretty soon.

Yes, I had survived as a slave, so far, but I had also been stripped of my pride. And it hurt. Now I had to prance around, figuratively, in a skin-tight black outfit that was much too revealing for my tastes. It was Ghirahim who designed it. The tight shorts, the sleeveless top that didn't even attempt to hide my stomach. The socks and gloves with holes for the fingers to poke out of. And diamond cut-outs everywhere on the black outfit. I was also forced to wear a golden arm band and anklet along with blood-red diamond-shaped earrings, similar to his own. The whole get up left little to the imagination.

And Ghirahim had said over and over again that I would be in for punishment if I dared to ruin it.

Well, I sure had broken that rule. And I knew that Ghirahim wouldn't be happy. He seldom was happy with my behaviour. I took every opportunity to show my displeasure at my new life. I made sure to do every chore I was ordered to do, with spite and resentment. It didn't go unnoticed, and Ghirahim absolutely despised the hard glares that I sent his way.

I sighed and struggled to my feet, the ground slick with mud and rain water. When I'd finally gotten my footing, I shook my head, letting the mud splatter off in drops and then I tried my best to wipe off the wet mud on my body. The rain helped a bit to wash off the residues, but my outfit still looked a long way from being clean. Ghirahim would definitely notice. At least it wasn't as dirty as it had been at first. That had to count for something.

Sighing, I took a few hesitant steps towards the door, wary of slipping again. I was now soaked to the bone and wanted nothing more than to curl up in a warm blanket by the fireplace like a cat. I was too stiff to run at this point. And running had only caused me to fall.

I trudged through the mud and made it to the door without a second stumble. I wasted no time in opening the door and entering the castle. A warm draft of air greeted me, immediately warming my cold frame. I closed the door behind me and stood, shivering for a few moments.

Rivulets of water trickled down my legs and soaked into the carpet. Ghirahim wouldn't like that. This was a fancy room and Ghirahim seldom liked me to even step foot in here when I wasn't dripping wet. Oh well. Couldn't do anything about it now.

I must have looked quite out of place and forlorn in the elaborately designed room.

It was lavishly decorated with red and black drapes along the walls. I had entered from the back entrance, so this wasn't the main hall. It was only the sitting room or something of the like.

There was a large fireplace with a grate in front of it to lessen the risk of a fire spreading. The floor was covered in a velvety burgundy carpet and there were chairs here and there around the fire and an ornate polished wooden table. A vase of white and red roses was placed at the center of the table.

Along the wall that had the door that lead to the garden, that which I had just entered from, were large windows that showed a view of the garden. Because of the cold rain outside and the warm air inside, condensation misted the glass and every so often, a drop of the water would snake it's way down the window pane and soak into the carpet.

The crystal chandelier was not lit up. Obviously, nobody had set foot in here for any length of time yet today. The fire was still burning brightly since the flames were magically produced. Little diamonds were sparking around inside of the red and orange blaze.

They were the same typed of flames that had once created a barrier in front of me at the bridge in Lanayru. When Zelda had been at the gate of time with Impa. When Ghirahim had shown up and conjured that wall to block me from interfering.

The flames had died and so I had gotten to save both Impa and Zelda.

These flames didn't die, though. Ghirahim had taken more time in creating these flames. They would burn forever unless he decided otherwise.

It was one comfort at least. I could dry myself by the pre-made fire.

Forgetting about dinner, I went to the fireplace, limbs stiff and damp. I sighed when the full heat reached me and I closed my eyes as I heaved a yawn. Then I did what any cat would do. I sat down and then curled up in a safe little ball.

The heat engulfed my shivering form in a comforting way and I soon felt myself relaxing. The heat was like a blanket.

Breathing more steadily as well as heavily, I found my eyelids becoming heavy. I forced my eyes open just in case Ghirahim came and needed me to do any chores. But I was soon overwhelmed by the urge to sleep. Lethargy and tranquility sunk deep into my chest, and heavy dark waves lapped at the shore of my conciousness. The waves soon dragged me out of the waking world.

/

A cool caress of my cheek. Warm, sweet breath on my face. A sigh escaped my lips. My body was tingling with warmth and a newborn's drowsiness and I didn't want to move from this moment in time forever.

Another smooth stroke on my cheek, the feeling of my hair being brushed slowly away from my forehead.

I felt something wrap around my body-a blanket?- and I snuggled closer into the fabric. I didn't remember having such a soft blanket in my bed. No. But maybe Zelda had come to wake me up. She might have brought the blanket...

Perhaps it was a day off at the academy. That could be why she didn't mind me sleeping in so much.

Why was it so warm, though? It rarely was _this _warm in my room...whatever, it was probably just really hot outside today.

I felt something move me slightly and I squirmed, eyes still tightly shut, still half in the dream world.

I was now being held on something. A lap? Wow, Zelda had gotten strong if she had managed to half-lift me onto her lap. That girl always surprised me.

I remembered when she had pushed me off of the edge of Skyloft.

Terrifying when my loftwing didn't come? No kidding. Surprised? Yeah.

She always had something up her sleeve. Not always fun in the moment (like the pushing me off Skyloft incident), but it grew on you. You'd think of these memories days, weeks, months...even years later, and realise that you were happy it had happened like that.

There were many unpleasant memories I was burdened with too, though. Like when Zelda was captured by a great black tornado. Or when Ghirahim had slung her over his shoulder and had taken her through the gate of time.

...or when she had been suspended in mid-air while I was forced to fight-

Wait...what was I talking about? I still had to save Zelda!

My eyes flew open and I emitted a startled yelp when I saw that I was in the arms of none other than Ghirahim.

My mind was a blur from my half-dreamlike state and I had to pause to figure out what was happening.

I knew one thing, though. I would never see Zelda again.

And my cruel mind had played a mean trick on me.

I had honestly believed that Zelda was still okay. That it wasn't too late. Dreams were terrible things.

When I had finally collected my thoughts, I let my eyes wander around my surroundings. I was in the castle still. I was by the fireplace, but Ghirahim was sitting with me, cradling my body in his lap. I looked up at his face with a mixture of shock and confusion. He was gazing down at me, eyes glittering with...amusement and...concern?

Why would he be worried about me? What had he ever done for me?

If this was a joke...then I wouldn't be very happy. It was embarrassing enough that he was holding me in his lap.

Like a pet.

But that's all I was to him. Right? A pet, a slave.

I basically didn't have anything to live for. Ghirahim was a cruel being with no real regard for other's feelings. He didn't know what I was thinking about when I was half asleep still. He didn't know _exactly _how pained I was to know Zelda was dead to the world.

What had become of my friends? What had become of Skyloft? Why was I trapped here with him and Demise?

I was supposed to be a hero.

I was supposed to save her. Zelda. But I hadn't. Oh, why did I have such horribly reoccurring dreams, thinking life is normal, then opening my eyes to see that I really was just a pawn to Ghirahim and Demise? This hadn't been the first time I woke and thought I was in Skyloft. And it wouldn't be the last.

My life was nothing.

I didn't realise I was staring blankly until Ghirahim reached out and held my face gently in his hand. He wasn't wearing his gloves right now, and the smooth skin of his hand was soothing.

Then I thought about Zelda.

I was taking comfort from my enemy and my best friend had died at the hands of his master. But there was nobody else to take comfort from. And besides, Ghirahim had initiated this. He had touched my face first.

"What's wrong, my little Sky Child?" He breathed. I jerked slightly at the sudden verbal communication. Then I shook my head, lowering my eyes. He didn't really care. He didn't understand how hard everything was. He probably didn't know that I cried myself to sleep every night. The hero, crying. It was laughable.

"Leave me alone, Ghirahim."

I felt his chest rise and fall as he sighed.

"Tell me what's causing you such pain..." He replied softly.

The last word seemed to reverberate inside my head.

_Pain. _Was what I was feeling called pain? Or was it sadness? Or grief?

A heart-wrenching stab of emotion in my chest confirmed that I was in pain. The past few months had been filled with pain. Unimaginable pain. Only in times like these could I let go of that pain until it came back, seeping through my veins like poison. Poison ripping open old wounds on its journey to the heart, where it would stay, festering and growing like a fungus until it finally became too much to handle.

I decided to tell him. It wouldn't hurt anymore than it already did.

"Ghirahim...I-" I suddenly burst into tears and he flinched in surprise. He didn't expect me to melt down on him like this. But he reacted quickly. He wrapped his arms tightly around my body, which convulsed and shook as I cried. I had begun to hyperventilate because I was trying so hard not to cry when the my body was yearning to shed the pearly tears.

"S-sorry." I managed between hiccups. The demon ran the palm of his hand up and down my back soothingly.

"It's okay, just relax." He cooed in my ear, his breath tickling me.

I began to sob even harder into his chest. I could tell he was at a loss of what to do, but he did a good job at bluffing his way through it.

When I'd finally calmed down enough to form a coherent sentence, I pulled slightly away from the demon's arms and he let go when he realised what I wanted. He looked at my tear-stained face and my red, puffy eyes as I regulated my breathing.

"Ghirahim..." I finally choked out. "I'm sorry about that."

He chuckled lightly. "You needn't apologize, Link. Just tell me what's wrong.."

A bit perturbed by his strangely friendly, caring demeanor, I decided to just tell him.

"I fell asleep and when I woke up...I thought that I was back in Skyloft."

My voice trailed off and Ghirahim reached over to pet my head. He didn't say anything and so I continued.

"It's just that I miss everyone and I wish things were back the way they were before I had to be the hero. I want my old life back..." I knew it sounded clichéd, but I couldn't express myself in any other way.

"Oh, sky child, what can we do? It's in the past and now we must make what we can of this new life. It's not the end of the world."

He gazed down at me, head slightly tilted. He lowered his hand and wraped an arm around my shoulders.

"But it's hard to forget something like that." I rubbed my eyes as tears threatened again.

"Yes, I know. But you have to try to at least forget the sad things. Hold on to the special memories before they fade."

"What do you know about feelings?" I suddenly asked. I didn't mean for it to sound rude, but it came across as such.

Ghirahim stiffened, but didn't do anything else. He disregarded my question.

"Let's move on, Link. You can't let yourself be tortured by your memories and regrets. There's nothing you can do. Don't let the pain of loss eat away at you."

_Pain. _That word again.

But boy, was he acting weird, or was it just me?

"Are you okay?"

He frowned slightly. Yes, I'm fine."

"No, it's just that you seem really..."

"Really what?"

"Really caring right now." I finished. His eyes glimmered incredulously. He opened his mouth to answer, and I listened carefully. But he just said,

"You missed dinner and master was very displeased. Not to mention how disgusted I was when I saw how you had soiled your outfit."

I scoffed and yanked his arm off me and stood up. I hadn't noticed until now that my outfit was all clean and dry. Ghirahim must have cleaned it for me.

Something warm stirred in my chest. Affection. Ghirahim dematerialized and appeared at the doorway. He was leaning casually against the door frame while I stared, dumbfounded at the new feeling that he had caused in me.

"I suggest you don't break any more rules, or there could be consequences."

"But what about today? What are my punishments?" I interjected. "I completely missed dinner _and _got my clothes dirty, like you said. Don't I have any punishments?"

Ghirahim waved his hand dismissively and I raised my eyebrows, disbelieving what he said next.

"No, I can't have my slave too overtired. You should rest."

With that, he snapped his fingers and vanished in a cascade of diamonds.

He had changed. Or had he?

Maybe I was so caught up in my misery that I hadn't really payed attention to the little caresses...the occasional pat on the head...the time when he had killed the skultula that had snuck in (somehow) through the window in my room and I was weaponless. No. Ghirahim didn't punish me ever as cruelly as Demise.

I had been fooling myself.

I had been sick in some way.

I was in pain. And Ghirahim made me acknowledge that.

See, pain was a funny thing. It changes you. It alters your beliefs and your view on life. It makes you act differently. It distracts you from what is happening around you. It makes you cry.

I was ignorant to my pain, fooling myself to believe false truths. But now that someone had said it, I couldn't deny the fact. It was Ghirahim who had helped me. He had been trying to help me all along, but I didn't want to believe it.

Heck, if I had defeated all those creatures on my adventure, I could rid myself of pain. And realising it's presence was the first step.

**/**

**Poor Link! Awww. I hope you liked it. I know it's not much, but if you have time, please R&R! Thanks :)**

**Here's the link to yueki's slave!Link outfit. Just take out the spaces. It also has a mature content filter on dA. Just saying. Yueki is a really good artist :)**

** yueki . deviantart art / TLoZ - SS - Demon - Lord - s- Pet - 297135008**


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